If you’re overwhelmed by all the different types of visas and residence permits available to you in Berlin and Germany, this short glossary should clear things up.
German Visas and Permits: A Glossary
Before we start, let’s get one thing straight. There is a difference between the word visa and residence permit. A visa (Visum) is a permission to enter a country. Sometimes you have to apply for it before you cross the border into that country. A residence permit (Aufenthaltstitel) is permission to live and/or work in the country for a long period of time.
Artist’s Visa. This term spread like a wildfire thanks to the freelance blogging community in Berlin. The “artists visa” in Berlin is just another way of saying “residence permit for the purpose of freelance or self-employment” when that particular type of permit is issued to someone who just happens to be an artist.
Aufenthaltstitel. This word means “residence permit”. If you see this sticker in your passport and the sticker is still valid, you’re sweet. There are many different types of these.
Au pair permit. You have to be between 18-26 years old with an above-board au pair contract from a family who speaks German at home and doesn’t come from the same country you do. You should also like the idea of looking after children.
Blue Card (EU Blue Card). The red carpet of residence permits. Issued to a person holding an academic qualification who has been offered a full-time employment contract in their field with an annual salary of over 50,000 Euros, or in some cases, just under 40,000 Euros.
Employment Permit. This is a work and residence permit issued to a qualified person who has been offered a full-time employment contract in their field under suitable working conditions if Germany has an economic interest in that field. In a nutshell.
Family Visa/Spousal Permit/Spousal Visa. Spouses and children of German citizens, EU citizens or foreign citizens can stay in Germany as a family unit if the German/EU/foreign citizen is resident in Germany for a particular purpose. The applicant/s and the EU citizens/foreign citizens have to fulfil certain conditions to get their permit. This is either issued as a Residence Card for 5 years or a residence permit for 3 years the first time around.
Freelance Permit. This is a work and residence permit issued to a self-employed sole trader with permission to work in a certain field.
Language Visa/Language Learning Permit. You can come to Germany and stay for up to a year if you’d like to learn the German language. It has to be an intensive course, and they do actually have to attend it. There are a few other prerequisites too.
National Visa. A national visa is a permission to stay in Germany for a particular reason, e.g. work or family reunification. It can be issued on a long-term basis. You get this type of visa from an embassy or consulate before you get to Germany.
Qualified Workers Permit. The long name is Residence Permit for Qualified Workers Wishing to Seek Employment. If you have a college degree that Germany recognizes as the equivalent of a German university degree and you don’t have a residence permit yet, you can get this type of permit for 6 months.
Residence Permit for a Foreign Child Born in Germany. If you have a baby in Germany and at least one of the acknowledged parents of the child has a residence permit and lives with the child, the baby can get a permit too.
Residence Permit for a Foreigner with Long-Term Residence in An EU Member State. If you have permanent residence in another European country using the words “permanent residence EG” or “permanent residence EU” (or the translation fits), you can get residence in Germany too.
Residence Permit for University Graduates Looking for Employment. If you graduated from a German university, they’ll give you up to 18 months to find a suitable job. Get your university to help you with this permit.
Residency to Start an Internship. As long as the internship is above-board, you have the contract and your employer doesn’t mind jumping through a few hoops, this could work.
Schengen Visa. Also known as a tourist visa. Citizens of certain countries can enter any of the 26 Schengen countries (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland) without organising a visa first. When you enter, your passport is stamped and you automatically have a Schengen Visa: 90 days within a 180-day period to travel through the Schengen area at your leisure.
Student Permit/Student Visa. A residence permit for the purpose of study is issued to students who have been offered a place in a German university, or in some cases, another sort of vocational training course. Get your institution to help you get this permit – they probably have a Student Services department that can help. Also ask the university to help you with the permit if they are hiring you as a visiting scholar.
Study Preparation Permit. If you want to study at a German university in the future but need to complete some prep courses (e.g. language course or similar) first, you can get up to two years residency to prepare for your university course.
Working Holiday Visa. When two countries form an exchange agreement to let young citizens stay for up to 1 year in the other country, it gets called a Working Holiday Visa, a Youth Mobility Visa or similar. The fact that it is called a visa is a bit confusing because under some circumstances, you can also apply for it after already having entered Germany.
Youth Mobility Visa. When two countries form an exchange agreement to let young citizens stay for up to 1 year in the other country, it gets called a Working Holiday Visa, a Youth Mobility Visa or similar. The fact that it is called a visa is a bit confusing because under some circumstances, you can also apply for it after already having entered Germany.
Of course, it’s not always easy to fit into the right box. If your situation is unique and you’d like some more personalised help figuring out which permit is right for you, I’d be very happy to help.
Hi There,
I hope this finds you well. I have a few questions in regards to what permit/visa I should apply for.
I am planning to move to Berlin oct 1, 2018 from Toronto Canada. The kind of work I do is mostly freelance (artist), but I also supplement my freelance career with other work such as yoga teaching, dance teaching, receptionist, serving/hosting/bartending and I also work as a part time nanny.
Upon moving to Berlin I am planning to try and find any kind of work to just get me on my feet and transitioned smoothy…I imagine Nanny work would be my best bet to get myself going until I break into the artist scene there and start getting gigs.
I am also going to be applying for school for my MA in October of this year and should find out if I get in or not by November. I plan to have my visa in hand no later then August.
What do you suggest? Artist Visa, or Youth mobility visa …? If I get into school can I change my visa to a student visa in Germany?
Thanks for taking the time to help me sort through my thoughts!
Chat soon!
Mary-Dora
Hi Mary-Dora, this all sounds pretty complex and there is a lot of information to impart in your situation! I’d be happy to discuss it with you in a Skype coaching – if that interests you, you can book here. I still have some times available on Wednesday next week or from mid-May. Cheers, Kathleen
Hi Kathleen,
I currently have “Residence Permit for University Graduates Looking for Employment.” Do you know if this particular permit allows me to work as a freelancer as well? I was just approached by a US company wanting to sign me on as a freelancer (sales consulting in European market). I have not had any prior relationship with this company (so it’s not like I was sent from US on behalf of them to live and work from Germany). And the company does not have a local office in Germany. I did read your post about “Scheinselbstständigkeit”, and my concerns narrow down to 3. First, can I use my current resident permit to start working as a freelancer? Second, I did get the steuernummer from Finanzamt when I got my current resident permit- can I just use this to bill my invoices? (and if the answer is no, does that mean it’s a simple process of applying for steuernummer related to freelancing, or does this bring me back to the first question and possibly having to go thru the Auslanderbehorde office to get the freelance visa) Third, can I voluntarily pay for pension/social security insurance as I find this to be much easier than later having to worry about getting a bill for backpay by DRV?
Really appreiciate your help… thank you
Hi Becca,
I can answer those questions, but not without a chat, knowing a bit more about your situation and having a look at your permit. You can book a coaching if you need the answers quite urgently. I have availability tomorrow or Tuesday next week. In a nutshell, I am fairly convinced that the answers to your 3 questions are “no, no, yes” but need more context.
Cheers
Kathleen
Dear Kathleen,
Hello, and I hope you are able to answer these questions I have! I will be attending a German university for my masters degree in coming October, and I want to bring my wife to this journey, but do not know how to go about with the process. My first question is am I elligible to apply for family reunification visa? Secondly, as a Korean citizen, we can go to germany for 90days without applying for any visa. Would it be possible to apply for my student visa/ wife’s reunification visa there? Lastly, if second options is not viable, can my wife come to Germany with me on working holiday visa, and change it to reunification visa while in Germany after a years time?
Thank you so much for your time, and I really appreciate all your help!
Hi Daniel,
This looks like what you’re after for your spouse: https://service.berlin.de/dienstleistung/327471/standort/327437/en/. I don’t think you can have a dependent on a Working Holiday Visa… As for whether you can do it in Germany, according to this website, yes. Cheers, Kathleen.
Hello,
I want to apply for the work holiday visa and work as a yoga teacher (I think this would be freelance) and in hospitality. Could I do both under the same visa?
Many thanks
Eva
Hi, I don’t know which country you’re applying from, but some Working Holiday Visas only allow “Beschäftigung” (employment), which is much more likely for hospitality work. The WHV might not be suitable for freelance work, although some lucky recipients (e.g. from Australia) have said that the words “Erwerbstätigkeit gestattet” are listed on their WHVs, which would not restrict you from working freelance as well. If you’re applying from abroad, check with the embassy responsible. Cheers, Kathleen
Hi Kathleen,
Thank you so much for this article- it was the closest one I could find to the info I needed. If as a US citizen my 90-day entry expires around September 30 and I have been offered a paid internship at a German university lab for 3 months beginning October (I am a US university student), is this a student visa or temporary work visa? I emailed the foreigner’s office and they said I need a student visa but they also responded entirely in German so I am not entirely sure they understood my request. They also said the earliest student visa appointment is October 15 and I would just have to visit the office at opening hours rather than having an official appointment. Do you think if I go in immediately following my büro registration next week and explain the situation they would issue a temporary permit until October? They do not seem very lenient but I am not sure what to do. I also hear cancellations occur often and to try to visit every day in hopes of an empty slot but the website says residence permits must be booked by appointment only. Thank you so much for your help!
Hi V. The situation has probably resolved itself, since your internship just happens to be at a university there might have been a communication error and they thought you were coming to study. Have a look at this permit. It is hsndled in the building that does student permits, but it is an internship specifically. To anyone else reading, yes, you can walk in without an appointment, though there is no guarantee you’ll be seen. The office at Keplerstr. is particularly tricky. I hope yopu got it sorted out, V!
Hi Kathleen,
I studied and graduated in France with Master degree in Finance. I have French temporary residence permit which is valid 28/08/2019.
I came to Munich, Germany for internship with D-type visa which was valid from 09/2017 to 01/2018. During that time, I extended my internship and got aufenthaltstitel that was stamped on passport. My aufenthaltstitel expired on 31/7 when my contract ended. Early August, I went travel in France for almost one month. I came back Munich on 28/8.
I want to ask that since I used to have German temporary residence permit aufenthaltstitel during my stay in Munich, even though it was expired, can I apply for work visa in Germany once I get job offer without going back to France and apply at the embassy? I am currently living in Munich for the next 2 months, so it would be more convenient for me to be able to apply in Munich
Thanks jn advice 😀
Hi. I’m a 28 year from South Africa and currently teaching English in South Korea. I found a family in Germany who want to employ me as an Au-pair but I’m over the 26 year age limit of Au-pair visa. Is there any other way i can take uo this job offer in Germany? For example, Can I apply for a work permit as a live in Nanny?
If the family is employing you under au-pair conditions, then the only possible permit is an au-pair permit, I’m afraid.
Hello, I have freelance visa in Germany since two years ago valid until Sept 2019. They said next extension will have unlimited. Does it means I will become a freelance permanent residence?
Additionally I have a job offer and they offer to me the blue card.
My concern:
If I accept the blue card will I have to start all over again?
Will the blue card allow me to work as freelance again when I need/want to?
As freelance I am paying less taxes and I know that with blue card as employee I will be paying almost the half of income for taxes. Will I be able to go back to freelancing paying again less taxes as freelance with blue card?
Thanks for your help,
best regards,
Alejandro
Hi Alejandro.
1. Unlimited doesn’t necessarily mean permanent residence. It might just mean “free access to the job market”, i.e. not limited to your current line of work. This means it will either say “selbstständigkeit gestattet” or “Erwerbstätigkeit gestattet” but isn’t the same thing as permanent residence. It is possible you could get permanent residency after 3 years if you are currently self-employed (entrepreneur, permit is based on §21 Par 1) but not if you are freelance (permit is based on §21 Par 5).
2. Congrats on the job offer! No, accepting a blue card is not starting all over again. Your time as a freelancer would be counted towards permanent residence as well.
3. I can’t tell you whether the blue card will allow you to work freelance – when you go to your appointment, please ask about this. It depends on what they write on your permit specifically.
4. What type of permit you have has nothing to do with how much income tax you pay. You pay income tax according to how much you earn. If you’re an employee, it comes out of your gross salary. If you’re a freelancer, it comes out of your profit. If you’re both, it will be based on your gross salary + your freelance profit.
Cheers
Kathleen
Hi Kathleen, I currently have a Working Holiday Visa which states “Erwerbstätigkeit gestattet” – Can I apply for a steuernummer? If so, how? And will it cost me more?
Yes, you can! Have a look here. Let me know if you want a coaching.
Hi Kathleen, I just recently changed university and I got called up from my work place that I can’t be allowed to continue working because I submitted Immatrikulationsbescheinigung from my new school and they said in my work permit that it was written that I can only work as a student of the former school. So my question is where do you think I have to update my details, is it at the City registration office of where I live currently or at the Foreigners office of the city where my new school is situated? If its at the auslanderbehorde of my school city, do I need a rental contract to go there in order to change my school in my work permit? hanks in advance for your reply.